ECUADOR // That Quito Old Town, the Ecuadorian capital's crown jewel, was made Unesco's first-ever cultural World Heritage site speaks volumes about this lavish spread of restored colonial architecture sheltering below vertiginous volcanic peaks. Stippled by sumptuous churches, punctuated by pretty plazas and blessed with innumerable spots to soak in the views, the historic core of this high-altitude Andean city is a place to enjoy on foot, strolling cobbled thoroughfares, staring up at spires and swinging by magnificent museums. Plaza Grande is a good spot to begin. Its cathedral is graced by paintings from famous Quito School artists and its grand Palacio de Gobierno, seat of the Ecuadorian presidency, sports a mosaic by Oswaldo Guayasamin depicting Francisco de Orellana's original descent of the Amazon.